How to Treat a Mealy Hoya Plant

A hoya plant infested with mealy bugs is not difficult to treat if you use the right methods. This vine, also known as a wax flower and a wax plant, has variegated or solid green foliage that grows to about 4 inches long. The plant blooms in the spring and summer months, producing creamy white or pink clusters. Each bloom has a pink center that resembles a star shape. Proper care ensures that the infestation of mealy bugs does not result in leaf drop, yellow foliage or destruction of the plant.

Cotton swab
Rubbing alcohol
Soft cleaning cloths
Garden hose
Measuring spoons
Measuring cups
Liquid dish washing detergent
Insecticide

Instructions

- 1
  Insert a cotton swab tip into a bottle of rubbing alcohol. Press the cotton swab on the insects to kill them.
- 2
  Remove any mealy bugs you can see by wiping them away with a soft cloth or picking them off with your fingers. They are tiny and oval shaped. Their bodies are covered with a white, waxy powder that resembles cornmeal.
- 3
  Blast the mealy bugs off the plant with a brisk stream of water from a garden hose or shower.
- 4
  Wash the individual leaves of the hoya plant to remove the mealy bugs. A 1/2 teaspoon of liquid dish washing detergent in 8 cups of water in a bucket is an effective solution. Dip a cleaning cloth into the solution and wring it out to wash the foliage.
- 5
  Treat the infestation with an insecticide if all other efforts fail to rid it of the mealy bugs. Purchase one with rotenone, pemethrin, pyrethrin or other registered insecticides. More than one application may be necessary.

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